The Girl in the Yellow Vest, by Loretta Hill (Bantam Australia, RRP $37): Perth based romance novelist Loretta Hill has degrees in Civil Engineering and in Commerce. She has also worked in the Australian outback on engineering projects. This is her third…
Category: General fiction
Sibling rivalry from beyond the grave
The Possession of Mr Cave, by Matt Haig (Random House, RRP $34.99): Terence Cave is a man who has had more than his share of tragedies: his mother’s suicide when he was a young child, his wife’s death during a bungled…
Interest tapers off during final chapters
No One You Know, by Michelle Richmond (Random House, RRP $36.99): Growing up, sisters Elle and Lila are as close as they are different: one a mathematical genius with her own sense of style and quirkiness, the other a normal…
Great read … to start with
Trauma, by Patrick McGrath (Bloomsbury, RRP $37.99): I picked up this book and was riveted from the first page. Sadly, by the third chapter the momentum was slowing. By the fifth chapter, my get-up-and-go had got up and gone. I’d…
Disturbing world uncovered
The Crazy School, by Cornelia Read (Allen & Unwin, RRP $35): After moving to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts with her husband Dean, Madeline Dare takes on a job as a teacher at an academy for troubled teens with wealthy…
Story fell a little flat
One Life, by Rebecca Frayn (HarperCollins, $24.99): Rose and Johnny are a pretty average, every day couple enjoying life and all it has to offer. However, all that changes when Johnny suddenly decides it’s time for more commitment, something more real…
A love story that changed my mind
Mozart and the Whale, by Jerry and Mary Newport, with Johnny Dodd (Allen and Unwin, $35): I’m not a fan of love stories, soppy things that they are. However, this one got my attention and managed to hold it for the…
Trade Me tale doesn’t quite hit the mark
Trade Me the Novel, by Geoff Vause (Tauiwi, $25): There’s been quite a buzz both online and off about this book, which delves into the world of auction website Trade Me as a basis for its plot. A trader auctions…
Gently entertaining
The Half Life of Stars, by Louise Wener (Hodder & Stoughton, $36.99): Continuing on her successful move from singer to writer, Louise Wener has come up with another delightful novel. The Half Life of Stars is the story of loss and…
Real-life humour
Lessons in Duck Shooting, by Jayne Buxton (Random House, $26.99): In need of a life makeover, Ally James allows her best friend to bully her into going to a dating seminar. There, American relationship guru Marina Body claims all you…